Should I have a cheat meal?

To succeed in the gym, you have to train and diet hard all week long. Part-time efforts won’t get the job done.

That said, the hard training requires a reset at the end of the week. Not so much a cheat meal, that sounds wrong. Think of it more like a well-deserved and planned-out treat.

Here’s what you should do. Set aside one meal per week for your epic treat meal. You can and should have whatever you please, as long as it’s high-quality and doesn’t make you feel like shit the next day.

A photo posted by BarbellShrugged.com (@barbellshruggedpodcast) on May 25, 2015 at 12:16pm PDT

Make it special. Look forward to the ritual. Pick up a pint of your favorite ice cream. Dim the lights, put on some Boys II Men and enjoy yourself. Who deserves it more than you, right?

There are two clear benefits of the treat. First, treat yourself the day before a heavy training session. The extra fuel will go a long way towards helping you PR. But more importantly than that, this meal is going to make you feel satisfied and ready for the next week of training ahead.

That’s exactly the kind of ritual that will keep you feeling great and making progress over the long-term.